Canadian Journal of Counselling / Revue canadienne de counseling / 2008, Vol. 42:2 147
Book Reviews / Comptes rendus
Chen, C. P. (2006).
Career endeavour: Pursuing a cross-cultural life transition.
Hampshire, England: Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-4621-1. 176 pages.
Reviewed by: Patsy T. Sutherland, M.Ed., Ed. D. (Candidate) in CounsellingPsychology, University of Toronto
In today’s context of globalization and mass migration, it has become increasingly important to understand the complex processes by which individuals make life career transitions in cross-cultural contexts.Career Endeavour: Pursuing a Cross-Cultural Life Transition is a seminal text on how individuals navigate this complex process. The
author, Charles P. Chen, explores the career experiences of eight individuals from Non-Western Cultures (NWC) who made the decision to pursue their careers in counselling psychology in the West.
Chen begins with a series of questions that he addresses in the subsequent six chapters in a style that is refl ective of the course of his evocative inquiry. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the central thesis and casts life career development as a rich, multifaceted, mysterious, and ongoing process. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive and in-depth review of the literature, integrating relevant scholarly works on cross-cultural adjustment and transition to higher education, as well as the key theoretical principles of career and vocational psychology. This broad-ranged scholarly review is integral to understanding the experiences of individuals embarking simultaneously on cross-cultural and life career transitions, and of NWC individuals in particular. Moreover, it forms a foundation for the development of a multifaceted theoretical framework.
Chapter 3 serves as a guide for the qualitative research methodology. In particular, it delineates the incorporation of a rigorous ethnographic inquiry in the research proc-ess and provides a sound rationale for such a framework in this particular knowledge pursuit. A unique contribution of Career Endeavour is the use of a narrative case
study approach. According to Chen, a narrative method affords space and freedom for research participants to describe and make sense of their lived experiences through a sharing process. Chen’s approach is delicate and sensitive as he walks the reader through the acquisition of narrative data on the experiences of NWC counsellor trainees. Acknowledging the potential for his own experiences to impact the research, Chen recommends the use of refl exivity throughout the entire research process. This chapter is germane to the needs of both novices and more experienced researchers and may serve as an appropriate text for students on different university levels engaged in cross-cultural research.
In the following chapter, Chen presents the individual narratives of the eight NWC trainees. Drawing upon these individual narratives, the subsequent chapter presents the fi nal results of the study in a thematically integrated narrative, highlighting the collective as well as the differing facets of the NWC trainees’ experiences. The author concludes in chapter 6 with a discussion of the entire study in the context of the
148 Canadian Journal of Counselling / Revue canadienne de counseling / 2008, Vol. 42:2
existing literature and research fi ndings. Supported by rich and compelling narrative evidence from his investigation, the author draws attention to the relevance of this study in the modern context by elaborating the implications for the advancement of knowledge in theory, research, and practice.
Career Endeavour: Pursuing a Cross-Cultural Life Transition is a comprehensive
analysis of the many challenges facing NWC individuals making career transitions in cross-cultural settings. What sets this book apart from other published works in the fi eld of career development and counsellor education is its focus on an area that has been largely overlooked in the scholarly literature, namely the NWC professionals’ experience of meaning making and human agency. Therefore, this book is much needed and long overdue in fi lling the existing gap in the literature, and contributing to the knowledge advancement in the fi eld.
Another strength of this book is its contribution to theory, research, and practice. It is an invaluable resource for professors and practicum supervisors, particularly those engaged in vocational and career psychology, and in counsellor education. I strongly agree with the author’s contention that this book is also a useful reference for student service providers in higher education, immigrant settlement workers, human resources development personnel, social workers, and other helping professionals in diverse contexts, as it speaks to the life experiences of recipients of such services. In addition, scholars and students in other disciplines in the broad domain of social sciences may indeed benefi t from this book as a research methods reference book or a supplementary text for a research methodology course. Readers do not have to be experts in counselling psychology only.
Last but not least, this book will be of interest to anyone who has experienced a life career transition while at the same time trying to adapt to a new cultural environ-ment. Its multifaceted nature and approachable style will make it useful to researchers, practitioners, clients, and students alike.
On a personal note, as an NWC individual engaged in higher education, I found that reading the accounts of the NWC trainees was like reading a narrative of my own life career transition experiences; it was normalizing, and I wish I had been one of the research participants in this thoughtful and thorough study. I am grateful for the opportunity to have read and learned from this excellent book that addresses a dearth of existing literature on life career development, professional education, counsellor training, and cross-cultural management.
Héon, L., Savard, D., & Hamel, T. (2006).
Les Cégeps : une grande aventure
collective québécoise. Lévis, QC : Les Presses de l’Université Laval. ISBN 10 :
2-7637-8409-7. 13 : 978-2-7637-8409-0.
Compte rendu par : N. Canuel, Université Laval, Québec.
En cette année où l’on fête le 40ième anniversaire des premiers CEGEP, le livre
